[meteorite-list] Question about cutting stones on a small saw

From: Don Merchant <dmerchan_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 13:59:18 -0500
Message-ID: <000f01c9da46$3ec12120$6401a8c0_at_donaldmerchant>

Hi Mike. I know Walter Branch made a very nice step by step guide on cutting
meteorites, but not sure where I still have this site address or even if the
page is still up. As far as the saw you bought, (I'm no expert) it looks
like a tile saw of a sort. With this you need to use a water hose to spray
on the blade. Your motor seems very wide open to the elements so be careful
and ground your self! Though this is a Lapidary Saw of a sort I would not
recommend this for cutting meteorites. I am sure you could modify it to do
this. The saw I have for cutting meteorites can be found on my Meteorite
Collection Site via Photobucket. I believe I bought this at Kingsley North
Inc. www.kingsleynorth.com or sales at kingsleynorth.com
Was not real cheap as it set me back $400. NEVER NEVER use Alcohol!! Unless
your saw has been designed or modified to do this as "grounding" yourself
will not save you if this ignites or explodes. Anyways here is the type saw
you really need to cut meteorites. Also for all you Collectors out there I
added a bunch more pictures to the Site of my collection. Hope this helps
Mike.

My Collection Pictures
http://s212.photobucket.com/albums/cc276/emflocater/


Sincerely
Don Merchant
IMCA #0960

----- Original Message -----
From: "Galactic Stone & Ironworks" <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
To: "Meteorite List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 1:38 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Question about cutting stones on a small saw


> Hi List!
>
> I have a question for the cutting gurus and saw experts.
>
> Recently I purchased a new Lortone Rock Rascal 6" lapidary trimsaw,
> primarily for cutting small UNWA stones. I also bought all of the
> accessory goodies - the clamp vise, 3 blades of varying thicknesses
> and some lubricant.
>
> Admittedly, I am a total idiot when it comes to cutting - I know
> nothing other than what I have read. Since I have no firsthand
> experience cutting stones, I am wondering about a few things that I
> can't seem to find easy answers to.
>
> I do have experience with power tools and cutting wood with a variety
> of saws, so I know the fundamentals of cutting and saws in general,
> but lapidary saws and cutting stones is alien to me. The saw owner's
> manual is not targeted towards a newbie and there doesn't appear to be
> any online tutorials about how to use it to cut stony meteorites.
>
> So, please forgive the stupid nature of these questions -
>
> 1) How do I lubricate with this saw? It doesn't appear to be a "wet
> saw" - I see no place to add lubricant or no tank to hold it. What am
> I supposed to do in this respect? Am I missing something?
>
> 2) I have a very thin "Lapcraft Laser Dia Blade" that is .006
> thickness. It seems impossibly thin and "floppy" - how is it possible
> to cut a straight line using something like this? Doesn't it wander
> all over the place while cutting? I assume that this blade is only
> useful for friable specimens that would offer little cutting
> resistance?
>
> 3) What lubricant should I use? I have heard to use pure alcohol and
> some use distilled water. I bought something called "Dia-Cut" that is
> a red concentrate to be mixed with water. But I later read that
> lubricants like this should be avoided.
>
> 4) What kind of blade is recommended for general cutting of H and L
> type chondrites? I have the blade that came with the saw (not sure
> what it is exactly), the .006 blade I mentioned above, and a
> "Meteorite" blade that is .012 thickness. The meteorite blade is a
> Johnson Brothers that I bought from Graves.
>
> Here is a link to the saw I have -
>
> http://www.therockshed.com/equipment/modj6.jpg
>
> (I didn't buy from that vendor, it's just the first photo of it that I
> saw)
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> MikeG
>
> --
> .........................................................
> Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
> Member of the Meteoritical Society.
> Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
> Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
> ..........................................................
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Received on Thu 21 May 2009 02:59:18 PM PDT